


A kiss to build a dream on

by noellehenry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Blogging, Christmas, Ed and Olly are also football players, Finding Prince Charming, Kissing, Liam is the goalie for Manchester United, M/M, Mostly winter fic, Niall owns a coffeeshop, Pining, Romance, Social Media, Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 06:05:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8878819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noellehenry/pseuds/noellehenry
Summary: --“Need a hand?” Harry hears a warm voice say. He looks up in surprise. Here’s someone who’s actually trying to help him instead of laughing at him. 
And… oh. It’s a him. A handsome him with heavenly blue eyes, thin pink lips, defined cheekbones with a slight stubble and a nice smile that leave crinkles at the corners of his eyes. 
“Uhm… yes please.” Harry mumbles. He gratefully takes the man's hand and he pulls Harry up. A strong handsome man; Harry likes that.--
or 
Harry has a brief encounter with a handsome stranger at the local Christmas Fair, the romantic kiss they share changes everything.
Harry is determined to find his Prince Charming and sets up a tumblr blog with help from his best friend Niall, owner of the locally famous Steamin' mugs. 
Let the challenge begin!





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic last year under a pseud. It was written in the first person form; not many people like to read that form. So I removed the fic and pseud from AO3 and rewrote the story. 
> 
> I got the idea from Miranda Dickinson's book "It started with a kiss". I loved the concept of trying to find the man of your dreams through a blog. The title I borrowed from Louis Armstrong's song.
> 
> It's pure fiction, romantic stuff. All mistakes are my own.  
> UPDATE: Fixed the typos!  
> 
> 
>  
> 
> [Here's the tumblr post!](https://noellehenryfics.tumblr.com/post/171157556281/a-kiss-to-build-a-dream-on-by-noellehenry-rating)  
> 
> 
>  
> 
> TIP: Read it with a mug of hot chocolate, snuggled up on the couch. I hope you enjoy the story! Let me know:-)

 

 

 “But Harry… I’m straight!” Ben exclaims. “I like you as a friend … so sorry. Can’t we just ... stay mates?”

Harry can see the sheer horror on Ben’s face. 

“How long…. I mean, when?”

Harry stares at his trademark brown suede boots. “Uhm… for a long time now, actually, shortly after we started this course.”  

Ben’s eyes grow wide. “That’s almost a year!” he breathes out in disbelief.

Ah… yes, he’s correct. “Look … forget I said anything, okay?”

“How can I? I mean..., I cannot “unhear” it, can I?”

Harry sighs in despair. Okay, so he made a huge mistake, apparently. This was not how he imagined their conversation. He’d been pretty confident Ben liked him like that too. No “ _Oh Harry, I’m in love with you too_ ”. How silly of him… of course he’s straight. All those hours they spent together as a team at this creative writing course, always paired up together, laughing and writing silly pieces. Ben's beautiful brown eyes twinkling whenever he came up with a hilarious idea. How could Harry not have fallen in love with this handsome man? Ben is tall, black hair neatly combed, well-dressed and kind… and so unfairly handsome.

“I’m sorry.” Harry apologizes again.

“Yeah, okay….geez, I didn’t see this coming, I thought we were good friends, mates.” Ben stares at him, the horror in his eyes is replaced by confusion. Harry can’t stand it anymore, so he rises from his chair, totally embarrassed and ego bruised, he wants to say goodbye, but as he opens his mouth he can’t seem to utter a word, so he just turns on his heels and flees, tripping over bags, stubbing his toe on a chair and out into the High Street, almost bumping into an elderly couple carrying numerous of bags.

Christmas shopping… of course he picked one of the busiest days to declare his love to Ben. Fairy lights decorating the window displays of the shops, Mariah Carey singing “ _All I want for Christmas is you_ ”, definitely not a song Harry wants to hear right now. He's making his way through the crowded shopping street to his best friend Niall’s coffee shop Steamin’ mugs; he happens to live there as well, in the flat above the coffee shop.

Instead of taking the shop door, which he usually takes at opening hours, he chooses the door at the back, so he can sneak in without being spotted by Niall. He loves Niall, he really does, he’s a great friend, but right now he just wants to go upstairs unseen, so he can wallow in self-pity on the couch.

His name is Harry Styles, he's 24 and lives in a small town in Cheshire, in a rented flat above the locally famous coffee shop Steamin’ mugs; owned by his best friend Niall Horan; he’s Irish, by the way. Niall shares the flat with him and his ginger cat Copper, depending on Copper's mood, he prefers Niall as his boss when it comes to serving him food, but always comes to sit on Harry's lap for the highly necessary cuddles.

Harry just finished a creative writing course, which… is probably a good thing, considering the dramatic nature of the last lesson. He's a photographer for a small newspaper called the Cheshire Standard (not the Chester Standard!). He takes the pictures at local events. Occasionally he gets hired to do weddings. He's single… totally involuntarily. He seems to have a preference for straight guys when it comes to his crushes, which is highly inconvenient and causes a lot of embarrassment. Ben is just the latest in the row.

Harry opens the door to the little cosy flat and steps in, bumping his head for the umpteenth time against the beams on the ceiling. He's tall … and clumsy. He's got a head full of long untameable chocolate brown curls, wide green eyes and dimples in each cheek; some people call him feminine... so be it. He happens to have proof in the lower region of his body that he's a male, a very well-endowed male, thank you very much!

Harry throws his black coat on the coat stand together with the charcoal grey scarf, takes his brown suede boots off and puts them on the rack against the wall next to the door. He walks to the couch and slumps down on it. It’s a cosy seat with thick bouncy cushions, throws on the backrest: great for those lazy winter nights when he and Niall are watching telly when it’s cold and snowing outside, like today. Harry grabs one of the throws and lies down on the couch, turns on the telly and watches an episode of EastEnders, so he doesn’t have to think about his disastrous afternoon. He feels a thump on his stomach and when he looks down he sees Copper making himself comfortable on his stomach, his paws clawing in Harry's grey jumper, scratching the skin underneath.

“Ouch, that is not very nice of you. I could use a cuddle right now.” He strokes the soft fur on Copper's back. Copper purrs, wiggles towards Harry's chest and rests his head under his chin. Harry wraps his arms around him, the soft purring comforts him and soon he relaxes a bit.

 

 

 *****

 

“Hey sleepy head, wake up. Dinner’s ready.” Harry hears Niall’s voice in the distant. He rubs his eyes, he has no idea what time it is, so he supposes it must be somewhere after 7 pm since Niall is upstairs and when he says dinner is ready that means he ordered pizza, Niall doesn’t bother with cooking wholesome meals, that’s Harry's task in their little household. At least he serves the pizzas on plates. Harry slowly sits up, still not entirely awake.

“So, care to tell why you sneaked in at the back instead of the shop door, as you usually do?” Niall asks him. Harry sighs and decides he might as well tell him the truth, no use in beating around the bush.

“I finally told Ben I am in love with him.” he sighs. “He’s straight, Niall… I made a fool of myself, you should have seen the look in his eyes when I told him.” 

“Aww mate, I’m so sorry for ya. You’re not going to see him again, I assume? ” Niall looks at him with his bright blue/grey eyes as he takes a bite from his pizza.

Harry sighs “I don’t think so, the course ended today... so no reason why I should see him again.”

“Have a slice of pizza, I ordered a veggie one for ya, I know you like it.” Looks like that was all the comfort he would get from Niall. Niall is the type of guy who doesn’t dwell on the past. " _No use in wasting time on things that can’t be helped. Cheer up!_ ” he says. Harry sometimes wishes he was as optimistic and carefree. 

“Remember you’re helping me at the Christmas Fair in the park tomorrow night, don’t forget!” Niall reminds him. Ah yes… the annual Christmas Fair. Niall has a stall every year, selling coffee, tea and hot chocolate, always offering his customers a cheerful smile and a kind word. It’s the Irish charm, Harry knows. And this year Harry is the chosen one to assist him.

“As if!”

Niall has been reminding Harry of his fair duties almost daily, since November.

“I got us nice outfits to add to the festivities.” Niall pipes. He quickly gets up and comes back with two outfits. Harry groans, because he already knows which one he’ll be wearing.

“You’ve got to be joking!” he whines. Surely, he doesn’t want Harry to wear the elf suit, he’ll look ridiculous with his long legs in tights.

“Aww come on, Haz. It will be fun!” Niall nudges him with his arm.

“How come you’ve got the Santa suit? “ Harry wants to know.

“I’ll look hideous in an elf suit, look at me legs, they’re skinny. You’ve got nice long legs and dark curls; you’ll look great in the green elf suit.”

Yeah, Niall is a real charmer! “Okay, I’ll wear it, but I’ll be freezing in tights!” Harry warns him.

“Nah, I’ll make sure I have blankets and a small bottle of Irish whisky to keep us warm.” Niall winks at him.

”Sounds like you’re well prepared.” Harry sighs and gives in. 

 

*****

“Wow, Haz you look fantastic in the suit! Look at you!” Niall twirls him around in front of the dressing mirror. Actually, he’s right. The green elf suit isn’t as bad as Harry thought it would be, the green tights are…tight and the costume is a little short, showing a lot of leg, but it feels rather comfy. Harry puts on his ankle boots and Niall places the green hat on top of his head. They stand next to one another in front of the mirror and grin. Niall is looking great in his Santa suit, he’s been practicing  _Ho!Ho!Ho!_  all day like a true Father Christmas. 

The park is beautiful, trees decorated with strings of fairy lights, stalls placed in a big circle. In the middle there’s a small stage for the band that will be playing Christmas songs, no doubt. The ground is covered in snow, a bonus from Mother Nature. It’s like walking around in a fairy-tale. All Harry needs is his Prince Charming…

"Okay, don’t get carried away, Harry. You’ve got work to do." he mumbles to himself. 

Niall and Harry walk to the stall with the signpost “Steamin’ mugs”  They set up the stall this afternoon carrying boxes full of paper cups with the Steamin’ mugs logo, a coffee maker, cocoa, water boiler, milk, sugar, cream, spoons and more. Niall stands in front of the stall with his hands on his hips, chanting “Ho!Ho!Ho!” Harry can’t help but grin when the man in the stall next to them glares at Niall. He guesses their neighbour is not in the Christmas mood yet. 

Within an hour the fair is packed with people. Their outfits are a hit. Some children think Niall actually is Santa. Harry's been getting appreciative looks from women, which makes Niall chuckle.

“Told you, you look fantastic in the outfit.”

The band is playing all kinds of Christmas songs, but they mostly sing the popular up-tempo tunes. Harry's heard  _Most wonderful of the year_  (he admits, he agrees.)  _Wonderful Christmastime_  (that remains to be seen) and, of course, the unavoidable  _All I want for Christmas_  (ugh!) Which reminds him of Ben; he wonders how he’s doing, has he recovered from Harry's confession. Does Ben hate him? Does he even think of him? Harry sighs. He wonders what gave him the courage to confess his feelings to Ben. The too many Christmas romcoms he's been watching? The atmosphere of the most beautiful time of the year? Harry blames Nora Ephron, Richard Curtis and Father Christmas for the temporary loss of his sanity.

“Haz! Harry!” Niall shouts in his ear, waking him up from his short reverie.

“Mmm, yes?” Harry looks at him questioningly.

"I asked if you could go back to the van to get some more cups. We’re running out of cups to fill.” He raises an eyebrow at Harry.

“Of course, coming right up!” Harry quickly answers before Niall asks any questions.

Niall hands him the key of the van and Harry makes his way to the parking lot, ploughing through the snow until he finally reaches Niall’s van. He opens the door and grabs the box with paper cups from the van, places it on the ground, before he closes the door again and ploughs back through the snow with the huge box. He is almost there, he just needs to cross the playground, when he feels his feet gliding from under him as he walks too quickly over the frosty ground. He lands ungracefully on his bum, legs in the air and the box is flying out of his hands. It lands near the swings, paper cups rolling out of the not secured box. Harry hears laughter behind him, when he looks over his shoulder, he sees a group of teenagers having a laugh at his expense. Harry looks around, seeing the cups lying all over the playground as the winter breeze picks them up and blows them further away from him. He sighs… deeply. He's still on the snow covered ground… freezing his balls off when suddenly a small hand covered in a black glove appears in front of him.

“Need a hand?” He hears a warm voice say. Harry looks up in surprise. Here’s someone who’s actually trying to help him instead of laughing at him. And… oh. It’s a him. A handsome him with heavenly blue eyes, thin pink lips, defined cheekbones with a slight stubble and a nice smile that leave crinkles at the corners of his eyes.

“Uhm… yes please.” Harry mumbles. He gratefully takes the man's hand and he pulls Harry up. A strong handsome man, Harry likes that. “Thanks.”

Okay, so he’s small, quite a bit smaller than him, Harry discovers when he's face to face with him, or rather Harry's chest to his face.

“You alright?” he asks sweetly as he tips Harry's chin up with his finger. Harry looks in his eyes. In the light of the Christmas lights above he looks like a prince from a Disney movie. Harry has never seen such a gorgeous man before. He nods a yes, unable to speak, completely numb, vocally and physically.

“You need help?” the man offers. Harry looks at the scattered cups and sighs.

“Yes, please.” They move around the playground picking up the cups. Harry is aware that the man is watching him, a shy smile appearing whenever their eyes meet.

When the cups are back in the box Harry looks up at him and softly says “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” he replies, pushing his hands into his coat pockets. They stand there in silence, a bit awkwardly, clearly none of them knows what to say.

“Well… I’d better…” Harry nods in the direction of the Christmas Fair.

The man looks down at his feet and says “Of course.”

“Thanks again”

He raises his lovely eyes at Harry once again and says “No problem. Merry Christmas.”

As Harry bends down to pick up the box, a hand touches his arm. He looks up and sees the man nervously staring at him.

“Look, this is going to sound mental, so I’m just going to say it. I can’t let you go without telling you that you’re beautiful. Please don’t think I’m a weirdo or that I do this a lot; I don’t. But… you’re beautiful and I wish…”  

A shouting voice from behind them makes the man turn.

”Mate, we’ve got to go!”

When he turns back to face Harry, the way he looks at him takes Harry's breath away. It’s a mixture of shock, surprise, love, resignation and hurt in those beautiful blue eyes. He takes a step forward, Harry can see a raging battle in his eyes as the voice behind them calls again, more insistently. The man leans in, cups Harry's face with both hands.

“I’m so sorry, I have to go.” he whispers, his lips inches from Harry's.”You’re beautiful, love.”

And then he kisses Harry. It’s only a brief touch, but it’s the most beautiful moment Harry's experienced in his entire life. It’s a perfect kiss, well...almost, because as soon as he opens his eyes the man’s gone. Harry looks around, still dazed, but he’s not here anymore.

“Wait… you can’t just kiss me and then walk away.” Harry whispers, to himself since no one’s around to hear him.” I don’t even know your name.” He touches his lips, they still tingle from the brief kiss. Harry feels stupid, how could he not have asked for his name. Now he knows nothing...he only has the memory. But… it’s not enough. Harry wants to know his name, get to know him. And therefore… He has to find him.

Harry picks up the box reluctantly and glides back to the stall where Niall is waiting impatiently and smirks when he sees him.

“Played in the snow?” he asks. Harry sticks out his tongue. He only realizes now his back is still covered in snow from the tumble.

“Not exactly, but I got you the box with cups.” He places the box in a corner of the stall and starts wiping the snow from his person.

“You missed something!” Niall exclaims enthusiastically. Harry doubts that, if he had stayed he would not have had the pleasure of meeting this gorgeous guy, but Harry's not going to tell Niall, not tonight anyway.

“What did I miss?” He politely inquires.

“A couple of ManU footie players bought my coffee!” He’s so excited. Niall loves football, he’s a big fan of Manchester United. Mostly watches the matches on telly, but occasionally, when he can spare the time, he’ll head to Old Trafford to watch a game. Harry? He doesn’t see what is so entertaining, watching twenty man running after a ball. The only entertainment they provide, in his opinion, is panting and well-toned sweaty bodies. He's sure that is not why Niall loves football, though, so he smiles and tries to look interested.

“Really? Who?” As if Harry would know who they are… not!

“Well, I talked to goalie Liam Payne, he ordered the coffees and he just moved here, to our little town! Can you believe it?“

Harry nods, while he pours himself some coffee to warm his hands and fill his insides with something that will take away the cold he's experiencing. “Here in Holmes Chapel? Why would a football player want to live here?” He sincerely wonders.

Niall shrugs. “Dunno, but he promised to come by Steamin’ mugs soon. He was accompanied by Murs and Sheeran and Liam said his best friend was around too, but they lost him in the crowd.” Niall sighs.

Harry softly pats him on the shoulder. “A bit star struck, hmm?"

“Yeah … so what’s been keeping you? You sure took your time getting that box from the van.”

He folds his arms in front of his chest.

“I … uhm had a little accident?” Harry carefully says. Niall raises his eyebrows, meaning Harry should continue his story. “I kind of slipped at the playground… and fell flat on my bum. The box fell open and … well the cups were rolling out of it.” He ends his story, feeling a little embarrassed, because of course, Niall bursts out in laughter.

“Oh mate… typical!” he hiccups.

“Well, there’s more… but I’m not telling you now, because you’ll only make more fun of me. “ Harry says, placing his empty cup firmly on the small counter. There are new customers waiting to place an order and so they return to their duties.

 

 

 *****

 

“You mean, he just kissed you and then disappeared? You sure you didn’t dream all of this?” Niall asks in disbelief when Harry tells him about his romantic encounter with the blue eyed stranger, as they sit on the couch in their flat, Copper nestled between them, the fire crackling in the background and they’re enjoying a glass of whisky to warm them up after tonight’s frosty hardship at the fair.

“No Niall, it wasn’t a dream.”  

“What if he was drunk and thought you were a girl… I mean I wouldn’t blame him. You were in that elf suit, looked kind of feminine…”

Harry glares at him and shouts “Niall Horan, are you telling me I look like a girl?”

Niall raises his arms in defence. “No offense, Styles, but if he’d been drinking he might have mistaken you for a girl.”

“We talked briefly… my voice is not a woman’s voice.” Harry defends himself.

“No, that’s very true. Okay, so this blue eyed stranger helped you pick up the cups, told you you’re beautiful, kissed you and then disappeared?”

Harry nods sadly. “Yeah.”  

“Have you seen him before?” Niall informs.

“No… I certainly would have remembered him. Oh Niall, he was an absolute dream guy! Those beautiful bright blue eyes and the crinkles around the corner of his eyes. He was much smaller than me though, brownish hair in a quiff and his voice … so sweet.” Harry leans back on the couch dreamily.

Niall looks at him. “Wow, that guy sure made an impression. So… what are you going to do?” he asks.

Harry looks at him in confusion.

”Well, you said you had to find him; what is your plan?” Niall clarifies.

Oh.

“I don’t have one yet, not sure where to start. Any ideas?” He looks at Niall hopefully.

“Place an ad in the Standard: contact me if you kissed an elf at the Christmas Fair.” Niall grins.

Harry throws a cushion at him, which causes Copper to glare disapprovingly at Harry. “You’re not helping!” he accuses Niall.

“Harry, are you sure you really want to find out… I mean, you're sure this is not a diversion from the real issue, trying to forget Ben?” Niall asks, seriously.

Harry pouts, it didn’t even occur to him.

“Seriously, one minute you’re telling Ben you’re in love with him for almost a year and then you just happen to find the man of your dreams at a Christmas Fair.”

Harry knows Niall’s right.

”It doesn’t make sense, I know. It’s just… it was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever experienced, he took my breath away, Niall.” Harry admits softly. “He was just… perfect. This is how I imagined my Prince Charming.”

“You haven’t told me how come he disappeared.”  

“A guy called after him ... twice, sounding like they were in a hurry. I was still recovering from the kiss, when I opened my eyes he was gone.” Harry explains.

“And you didn’t get a name?”

Harry shakes his head. “Sadly not.”

“So basically we have nothing, just a description of the guy, the event and the kiss.” Niall sums up. “Did anybody see the two of you?”

“No, there were a couple of teenagers laughing at me, but they walked on.” Harry recalls vaguely.

“That guy who called him, a mate or… boyfriend?” Niall asks cautiously.

“Shit...didn’t think of that, I’d say mate, because… well you don’t go round kissing other guys when you’re out with your boyfriend, I assume?” Harry answers him.

“Right, no… that would be weird.” Niall says in thought.

Suddenly Harry feels rather tired. “Let’s talk about it some other time, I’m too tired to think.”  

“Me too, sweet dreams Harry!” Niall winks at him as he gets up to bring their glasses to the kitchen, leaving Harry to put out the fire and pat Copper softly on the head.

“Night, my furry friend.” Copper purrs contently.

  
 

*****

 

The next morning Harry wakes up to the sound of his phone buzzing on the nightstand. He picks it up and sees it’s a text message from… Ben. His phone tells him it’s 9 am and he groans. He's not ready for this. It reads “Are you alright? Please, talk to me.”

Harry tosses the phone aside. It’s Saturday morning, he has the weekend off and he doesn’t want to be dealing with heart-matters at this hour of the day. He drags himself out of bed and goes into the bathroom. He reliefs himself and heads into the shower, lets the spurts of warm water running over his head and back. It feels good. After about ten minutes in the shower he dries off and brushes his teeth. His reflection in the mirror tells him he still looks a bit tired. Nothing a mug of coffee from downstairs won’t cure. He quickly puts on his grey boxers, black skinny’s and a grey knitted sweater, very comfy and warm. He brushes his curls carefully, he hates the knots, and puts his hair in a bun. He's aware of Copper brushing his warm body along his legs. Harry bends down and picks him up, together they walk to the kitchen to get Copper breakfast. With one hand Harry fills the water bowl and places it on the floor in the corner of the kitchen, picks up the feeding bowl and fills it with dry cat food. Copper gets a cuddle before Harry places him on the floor in front of his food and Harry runs downstairs. 

“Morning!” Niall greets him from behind the counter, where he’s drying mugs.

“Morning.” Harry greets him back with a smile as he walks behind the counter to fill a mug with coffee.

“I saved you a blackberry muffin to go with your coffee.” Niall hands him the muffin on a plate. Harry quickly kisses him on the head.

“Thank you so much.”

Niall grins.

Harry sits down on one of the very comfortable chairs at the large rustic wood table that covers the centre of the Steamin’ mugs and picks up the Cheshire Standard. Niall is helping a few customers. Harry looks through the window, it’s snowing. Big snowflakes whirl down, forming a white blanket on the ground.

“Great, more snow.” He mumbles to himself. He's glad he didn’t make plans for today so he's happy to stay inside just reading and relaxing, maybe watch a movie. Niall comes over and sits down with a cup of coffee.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, I did. Must have been the fresh air from last night.” Harry looks up from his newspaper.

“Good! Glad you got some rest after all the excitement of the past days.” He sips from his coffee.

“Yeah, well… I already got a message from Ben this morning on my mobile, just ignored it. I’ll deal with it later.” Harry entrusts Niall.

“Oh boy, he texted you? What are you going to answer?’  

“Don’t know yet, he just wanted to know if I was alright and he wants to talk to me.”  

“Hmm.” Niall replies.

“I’ll make us dinner tonight, maybe we can watch a movie?” Harry offers.

“Sure, sounds great! Well, I better get back to work. Enjoy your day off, mate.” Niall goes back to the counter.

Steamin’ mugs is a nice little coffee shop in the centre of town. The deco might be a bit old-fashioned to some people, but it has a nice feel to it. Pinewood tables and chairs, beams on the ceiling, soft green curtains covering the windows at night. The wooden floor covered with a few soft green/blue carpets and a huge fireplace near the counter, makes it a perfect place to spend a few hours, especially in weather like this. There are Christmas songs playing softly in the background, looks like Niall is in a nostalgic mood as he’s picked the Bing Crosby cd; he hears  _Do you hear what I hear?_  playing. Harry can’t help but smile as he looks around. They set up a Christmas tree last week and decorated the fireplace with a garland. Niall put mistletoe above the door; Harry's not sure what his intentions are. He doubts two strangers would kiss each other at the entrance of the establishment…oh... correction two strangers  **do**  kiss.

His thoughts go back to last night. His handsome stranger, who can he be? Does he think of their kiss? Harry stares out the window.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Niall stands in front of him with the coffeepot. He’s giving Harry's cup a refill.

“Nothing really, just thought of last night... you know.” Harry sighs.

Niall nods, knowing exactly what he means.

“Just wish I knew his name or where he’s from, so I would have something to start from.” Niall pats Harry's shoulder and turns to help an older lady. 

Harry finishes his coffee, waves goodbye to Niall and goes upstairs. He walks directly to the bedroom to pick up his phone; right… Ben, no use in putting it off any longer. 

_I’m good, just need some time… would be great if you let me try to get over you. Please don’t contact me._  

He rereads his message and then presses send. It’s only a few minutes before he gets a reply. 

_So sorry, please get in touch when you feel like you can. I’m still your friend :-(_  

Why does he have to be so nice? It would be much easier if he wasn’t, then Harry could just hate him.

Great, now he's sad over two guys, how come this happens to him? He'd better try to get his mind off Ben and focus on Prince Charming; how is he going to find him? Niall’s idea was not so bad, but who does even read newspaper ads like that these days and who says Prince Charming reads the Cheshire Standard, maybe he’s just visiting and not even from here. A loud meow tells Harry someone needs attention. Copper is brushing his legs, Harry picks him up and cuddles him, scratches behind his ears, until he buries his face in Harry's hand.

He smiles at Copper “You love that, don’t you?” He says as he nuzzles in his fur. 

Harry cooked steak pie, mashed potatoes and carrots; a nice winter meal, one of Niall’s favourites. Niall picked them a movie; of course it’s a Christmas movie, so Harry makes himself comfortable on the couch as they watch the Grinch, but his mind seems to drift from the movie all the time. If Niall notices, he doesn’t say anything. 

“Any new ideas about how to find your man?” Niall asks after he’s turned off the telly. Harry shakes his head.

“Don’t think a newspaper ad is going to work, I mean, it’s a bit old fashioned, isn’t it?”

Niall nods in agreement. “How about the internet?” he looks up at him.

Harry is confused. “What do you mean? I google blue-eyed Prince Charming?” He rolls his eyes.

Niall grins. “No silly, a blog!”

“Brilliant, Niall! I’ll get my laptop!” Harry jumps up and goes to his room to fetch the laptop. “So, a blog...like on tumblr?”

“I have a tumblr blog, I follow lots of footie things, coffee and music blogs, it’s fun. “ Niall says proudly. Right, so he’s quite the modern coffee shop owner.

“Good, then you can help me set up a blog!” Harry sighs in relief.

An hour later Harry has a basic blog. “What if people think I’m some kind of desperate guy? That would be rather embarrassing and humiliating.” He hesitates all of a sudden. A blog sounded like a great idea at first, but now that he actually set up one, he's kind of scared he gets the weirdos following him.

“Mate, you’ve got to take chances sometimes, it’s not as if people know your true identity. No one’s called Christmas elf, right?”

Uhm… yeah, christmaself.tumblr.com it is. They figured if Prince Charming would ever go look for Harry he’d look for an elf. Not as if… but, they can always try!  

“So I’ve got a tumblr name, I’ve got a name for the blog “A kiss to build a dream on - in search of Prince Charming”. Harry borrowed the Louis Armstrong song for the blog.

“Now what do I do?” He asks Niall, it’s way past midnight, but they’re determined to post a message to get the blog going. After all, this is Harry's best chance, since it’s only been a day since The Kiss.  

 

**_Welcome to my blog!_ **

****

**_I’ve never blogged before, it’s going to be a totally new experience for me, so bear with me, please._ **

****

**_As the title of the blog already indicates I’m looking for my Prince Charming, technically I already met him, but kind of lost him :-(_ **

****

**_He came out of nowhere, helped me when I needed help. He was gorgeous … he kissed me and then disappeared. I didn’t get to ask his name. Call me mad, but I have to find him again, if only to prove it really happened. It was the most amazing kiss, it took my breath away. Wouldn’t you want to find him if it happened to you?_ **

****

**_So I gave myself a year to find him, starting today and hopefully by Christmas Day next year, I can say “I found my Prince Charming!”_ **

****

**_I don’t know his name nor do I know where he’s from. All I know is he showed up in front of me last night at Holmes Chapel’s annual Christmas Fair and helped me get up after I had slipped on the frosty ground at the playground, landing on my bum in the snow, paper cups surrounding me as I was carrying a box with them to a stall at the Christmas Fair._ **

****

**_He helped me putting back the cups in the box. He was about 5”9 with amazing blue eyes (with crinkles in the corners when he smiled), thin lips, and brownish hair in a quiff. He wore a black jacket, black gloves, grey scarf and black skinnies. He was called away by a friend._ **

****

**_Were you at the Christmas Fair last night? Do you remember seeing a guy that fits the description?_ **

****

**_I’m not some desperate guy or weird stalker. I just would like to see him again, because I think he felt the same way that I did._ **

****

**_Any help will be appreciated, some encouragement if I might want to give up somehow, some reassurance that I’m not insane challenging myself like this._ **

****

**_So here goes… my challenge of the year has now officially started!_ **

****

**_All the love, H xx_ **

 

Harry presses send and Niall gives a high five with a huge grin. He closes the laptop and they head to their rooms.

“Hey Ni?” Harry says before entering his room.

“Yeah?” Niall pokes his head around his bedroom door.

“Thanks for helping me. “ Harry says sincerely.

He smiles. “Any time, Haz, any time.”

 

 

 *****

 

On Sunday Harry wakes up at noon, he hears paws scratching his bedroom door. Poor Copper, waiting for his breakfast. He jumps out of bed and opens the door. Copper looks at him with disdain.

“Sorry, sorry… let’s get you something to eat.” Harry apologizes to his cat, well it’s the right thing to do, Copper relies on him. He walks in front of Harry to the kitchen and goes to sit in front of his bowl. Harry quickly gives him his breakfast and fresh water and pats him on the head. After a quick shower he puts on dark blue jeans and a maroon sweater, he brushes his curls and makes himself some coffee and eggs. He sits at the dining table, Niall is still asleep. He picks up his mobile and sees that he has a text from his mum asking if he can come around this afternoon, since Gemma, Harry's sister, arrived from London to visit. Would be great to see his big sister again, so Harry texts back that he’ll be there this afternoon. Then he opens his laptop, curious if he already has reactions on his blog, very unlikely, but who knows. He opens his dashboard and he sees he already has a follower and a reaction.

“Go for it, mate. I support you all the way. Love Ni.” Dear Niall, what a sweet and caring friend he is. Harry looks at Niall’s tumblr name: thecraic. Right, of course, he’s Irish. So he has thecraic following him, ha! He has a look at Niall’s blog. Like he said, he follows a lot of footie and music blogs… and he follows an Irish Costa Coffee blog. Harry types a personal message to him, thanking him again for his help and support. 

“What? Someone just kissed you just like that?” Gemma shouts in disbelief when they’re gathered around the dining table at their mum’s house.

“Yes, Gemma, is it so hard to believe, that someone might actually want to kiss me?” Harry glares at his sister. Their mum looks at the both of them disapprovingly and they both mumble sorry for shouting while having dinner.

“So, what happened to Ben?” Harry's mum asks. Oh...yeah, he forgot to tell them.

“He’s straight.” Harry just says, not really wanting to tell his family how he embarrassed himself in front of Ben.

“Oh, I see.” is all his mum says. Later, when his mum and Robin are in the living room watching TV while Gemma and Harry are doing the dishes, he tells her about the blog he set up with Niall’s help. She immediately opens up her tumblr. How come everyone’s on tumblr? Harry wonders. She looks for Harry's blog and reads the post.

“Aww, that is sweet, Harry. I’m sorry for shouting at you earlier. Would you mind if I follow the blog?” She asks curiously.

“No, of course not. It’s fine. I could use all the help and support.” She hits the follow button.

So now he has two followers, thecraic and gemmastyles. For someone as creative as his sister, her blog name is not.

“You deserve your Prince Charming, love Gemma. “ She shows him after she’s typed. Harry smiles at her shyly and says “Thanks.”  He's used to their bickering and her sassy remarks, so this is a bit unusual for them.

 

The next morning he has to get up early, another three days to go before he's off for Christmas. He bundles up, they had more snow overnight, and so a scarf, beanie and gloves are a necessity. There are quite a few people waiting at the bus stop today, all tucked away in scarfs and hands in their pockets as they wait for the bus to arrive. It’s only two stops for Harry to work. He usually walks, not today though, he doesn’t feel like repeating the totter from last Friday night. He walks upstairs. The Standard is housed in a posh monumental building without elevators. Harry first puts his coat away and walks to the coffee machine. He picks cappuccino and takes his cup with him to the office he shares with several co-workers, part-timers, freelancers: always a surprise who’s present. Audra McEnroe, chief editor of the newspaper comes rushing in when Harry just sits down at his desk.

“Harry, glad you’re early. I need you to take some pictures in town for this week’s Christmas special. We hardly have snow pictures in our archives, so today’s perfect. Would you, please? Thanks, you’re an angel. Oh and take Nick with you, for some interviews in the High Street.” And with that she’s gone.

Audra is in her early 30’s, a whirlwind, always rushing and she has a habit of forgetting things like her mobile, car keys and other personal belongings. She’s a great person, fun and witty and radiant with green sparkling eyes, hair the colour of chestnuts and a smile that disarms. So when she asks you to do a job, you really don’t refuse. Harry sighs and looks around, but apart from George, an older journalist, there’s no one in yet. Harry greets him and he nods. George is a bit of an odd one. He hardly interacts with them, but his writing is great. Harry thinks he’s somewhere in his 50’s, but he's not sure. It’s almost 15 minutes later when Nick comes in, grumpy as always on Monday morning, Harry can’t help but suppress a smile, Nick glares at him.

“Don’t say it! It’s not a good morning and I refuse to step outside the office today in this horrible weather.” He grumbles.

“Sorry mate...bad news. We’re going out today, doing interviews and photographing winter wonderland in town, Audra just ordered.” Nick glares towards the door to Audra’s office.

“Why did I become a reporter?” he continues.

“Because you love it.” Harry answers.

He snorts. Nick Grimshaw is in his 30’s, black curly quiff, tall, sassy and has great taste in music. He’s Harry's mate at work. He does interviews, song reviews and writes for the entertainment section, aka the gossip pages. Harry decides to get him a coffee, hopefully that will cheer him up, he doesn’t fancy walking around town with a grumpy man all day.

“Here you go, cheer up.” He says as he hands Nick the coffee. Nick smiles and leans back in his chair.

“You’re a charmer, you know that, don’t you?” Harry smiles his widest smile, showing his dimples.

Nick laughs. “Okay, I’ll come with you after I’ve finished this coffee that you so nicely brought me, thanks.”

Harry pumps his fist in victory. George shakes his head behind his desk.

 

The High Street, always so quiet on any other Monday, is now packed with last-minute Christmas shoppers. Harry takes in the atmosphere and smiles, Christmas isn’t so bad. Nick eyes him suspiciously.

“Come on, Nick. It’s not so bad. Let’s just do this.” Nick sighs deeply. They make up a quick plan; Nick will ask the shoppers random questions depending on the title of the song that is playing coming from the speakers at that moment. Once he’s asked the first question to an old couple with a dog, when Stevie Wonder sings  _What Christmas means to me_ , he’s getting into it. Harry has fun watching him, as he takes pictures in the High Street, not missing the town’s Christmas tree, which sits in the centre of the square, richly decorated.

Two little girls look up at the tree and point to the star on top. Harry can’t resist taking a picture.

_Sleigh ride_  is playing and Harry sees Nick interviewing two boys dragging a sleigh with them. Harry takes another picture and slowly walks towards him, just as he’s approaching two young women both with dark long hair, who just left the town’s most posh jeweller’s store. Harry hears Mariah Carey singing the damn song again. He's just in time to hear Nick asking them what they want for Christmas. They look at Harry and Nick introduces him as the photographer of the Standard. They say hello and the smaller one of the girls smiles and says she’s already got her present, she just got engaged to the most wonderful man on earth. Harry can’t help but feeling a little jealous. Nick asks the other girl, tall and skinny what she wants for Christmas and she sounds a bit bitter when she answers that she would like to go out on a date with a certain guy, but doubts he ever will ask. The other girl gives her a sympathetic smile. Harry notices both girls are dressed in designer clothes and are wearing quite some expensive jewellery. They ask when the article will be published and then wave goodbye.

Nick turns to me and asks Harry the same question.

“Nick, don’t be silly, I’m not a Christmas shopper.” Harry laughs, but Nick is all serious.

“What do you want for Christmas, Harry?”

Harry starts blushing. “My Prince Charming.” He tells Nick in all honesty. Nick’s mouth falls open. “Well… you asked, so there’s my answer.”

“Have you found a guy then?” he asks.

“Well…. kind of?” Harry tells him about the Christmas Fair and the blog.

“Wow, that’s an amazing idea!” Nick exclaims all excited. They walk back to the office and once they’re inside warming their numb limbs at the central heating and each sip from a cup of tea, Nick looks for Harry's tumblr blog and reads the post, of course he has a tumblr account too, who hasn’t? Harry can’t help but think sarcastically. Nick hits the follow button, grimmers is now following him too.

“Harry, I’ve got an idea, just tell me if you’re okay with it. I’d love to add your story and a link to the blog in the Christmas Special, people love these things, kind of romantic. It would probably gain you a lot more followers. It will increase your chance of finding the bloke, how about it?” Nick looks at him expectantly.

“Ooh, what’s the news?” Audra comes in and stands behind Nick and watches the screen. Oh great, now his boss knows! “Oh that’s so romantic, is this someone local?” she asks Nick after she’s read the post.

“It’s me, Audra.” Harry tells her in embarrassment.

“Oh. It’s true what Nick says, you should let him put it in the special. Let me know what you decide, I think it’s good for you and the paper.” And without awaiting Harry's answer she’s gone.

No use in not publishing, now so many of his friends and family know about it, so Harry gives in. Nick grins. Harry just hopes he didn’t just make a big mistake by agreeing.

 

**_Dear readers,_ **

**_I’m a photographer and work for a newspaper, I do weddings, occasionally, and my work can be found on the walls of a locally very famous coffee place soon. As a matter of fact, it’s helping the coffee shop owner, my best friend, at the Christmas Fair that determined my fate. Did I tell you I was dressed as an elf? I didn’t, did I? Maybe it’s because I’m a bit embarrassed about that. I mean, I met my Prince Charming while being dressed as an elf. The costume was not my choice, I just got talked into it by my so called best friend! He’s the one who insisted I’d go with Christmas elf for my tumblr name..._ **

****

**_Anyway, it’s almost been a week since The Kiss; I can’t help but thinking about him all the time, I know it might sound to you as if I’m desperate, but that’s just the way it is. Every time I stick my head out of the door, I can’t help but thinking maybe I will see him, on the street doing some Christmas shopping. He could be living in the next street, maybe he visits the same bookshop as I do. He could be literally anywhere I go from now on and that makes it all the more exciting, who knows where I find him… IF I find him._ **

****

**_Happy Christmas to all of you, I hope you have good one!_ **

****

**_All the love, H xx_ **

 

Christmas Day at his mum’s is nice. They play board games together, Harry, his mum, Robin and Gemma. Gemma wins, as usual. They have a nice stroll through the snow after lunch, his mum prepares a nice dinner and they exchange gifts. Harry got a new lens for his camera from his mum and Robin and Gemma bought him the latest cd by the Script. His mum and Robin have just said goodnight and Gemma and Harry lie on the couch chatting, when she asks how he's doing on his quest. Harry tells her he hasn’t checked today. She opens her tumblr on her IPhone and gasps.

”Geez Harry, you’ve got tons of new followers and comments!” she sits up straight. Harry looks at her in disbelief. “No, I’m not joking, just look!” she pushes her phone under his nose. Oh… And then it occurs to him.

“The newspaper’s Christmas Special!” he exclaims, his cheeks are now red with excitement. “Gemma! Don’t tell me you haven’t read our paper’s Christmas Special!”  

“Uhm, not yet.” she admits sheepishly. She goes up and gets it from the kitchen table. They flip through the pages until they find the interviews. Harry proudly points out the pictures he has taken. She chuckles.

“No wonder you’ve got so many new followers. Nick wrote it like it’s the most romantic thing in the world.” she teases. Harry blushes. They go back to the followers to see if they recognize any names. Well, there’s Audra (she calls herself redhead!) and there are comments from misssophia and eleanorjc, but Harry doesn’t know them.

 

**_missophia replied to your post:_ **

**_“I hope you’ll find him and become as happy as I am. Good luck on your journey!”_ **

****

**_eleanorjc replied to your post:_ **

**_“He sounds lovely. Go find him!”_ **

 

“Nice comments, little bro.” Gemma exclaims. Harry reads a few other comments, most of them are encouraging, one girl asking him if she can borrow the costume.

Harry can’t help but smile. “Right, I think I better go home, try to catch some sleep. Night Gem.”

Copper is asleep on the couch when Harry comes home. Niall is in Ireland for a few days, he’s coming back tomorrow. Harry brushes his teeth and changes into pyjama bottoms and a T-shirt, then sends Nick a text. “ _Dashboard on my blog is blowing up, going to need all day tomorrow replying. Thanks :-)_ ”

He turns off the phone and lies in bed wondering how Prince Charming spent his Christmas Day… and Ben. Harry turns on his side and closes his eyes. He doesn’t want to think about Ben tonight.

 

 

*****

 

January is a bit of a dull month after all the excitement in December. Even work is slow. The blog is still running and Harry does get nice responses, but still…. no trace of Prince Charming. He’d hoped the publicity might bring him closer or give him a direction, but no such luck. It’s Wednesday night and he's with Niall in the Steamin’ mugs. It’s just before closing time. Niall has a hammer and nails, he’s going for the old-fashioned way of hanging up frames on the wall.

“Okay, where do you want this one to go?” he asks Harry. Niall has offered to put his work on display a while ago, for free. Harry is really thankful. Niall gets so many customers, it’ll be great to have his work hanging on these walls. Niall’s on a ladder when suddenly the shop door opens and a young man steps in, shaking his head, trying to get rid of the snowflakes on his face. For some reason mother Earth has decided they need lots of snow this winter.

“Hi, I’m sorry if I come in at a bad time, are you still open?” He inquires politely.

“Liam Payne! Sure, come in!” Niall jumps off the ladder, almost dropping the hammer on Harry's head. He glares at Niall. Niall chuckles. “Sorry H. Oh, Harry this is Liam Payne. “

Harry gets the feeling he should somehow know who Liam Payne is. Niall sighs disapprovingly. “Remember a footie club called Manchester United? A football team has a goalkeeper and…”

Harry blushes in embarrassment. Liam shakes his hand.

“Hi, I’m Liam. How refreshing when someone hasn’t got a clue who you are.” He smiles at Harry.

“I’m sorry. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about football teams or players or football in general, really. I’m Harry, I’m Niall’s roommate.” Harry apologizes and introduces himself.

“Can I get you something?” Niall asks, being the perfect host he is.

“I’d love a coffee before I head back home, if it’s not too much trouble. I can see you’re busy.” He looks a bit shy as he points to the photo frames.

“One coffee coming up, Harry you want one too?” Harry nods.

Liam takes a seat at the large table, he hangs his coat on the back of his chair. Harry immediately likes him. He’s got warm brown puppy eyes, short brown hair and a nice voice. He sits down next to him. Niall returns with three mugs of coffee and sits down with them. Liam looks at the photographs.

“Those are great! You’re holding an exhibition here?” he asks Niall.

“Sort of.” Niall grins at Harry.

“Who’s the photographer?” Liam asks as he holds up a picture of a mansion where men walk in and out carrying boxes.

“You’re sitting next to him!” Niall tells him proudly. Harry loves Niall!  

“You? They’re great, are they for sale?”  

“Uhm… I guess?” Harry knows he sounds rather unprofessional, but to be honest neither Niall nor Harry had thought of that. So he decides to be honest. “Haven’t really thought about selling them, not yet anyway. Why?” he asks him and blushes again.

“They’re great. I really like this one, I can even tell you the date you took it. November 3rd of last year, right?”

Harry is flabbergasted. “H-how do you know?” he stutters. Niall looks surprised too.

“It’s my house. I moved in on the 3rd.” Liam explains with a chuckle. They burst out in laughter.

“For a minute I thought you were clairvoyant!” Niall laughs.

“Nope, just a plain goalie.” Liam grins. “Let me know, Harry, if you want to sell it. I’d love to buy it from you.” he offers.

“Okay, good. I’ll think about it. Thanks.”  Wow, a first bid on one of his pictures and by no other than famous Liam Payne. Of course Niall and Liam talk about football for a bit, who can blame them?  Apparently ManU are doing good in the league right now. Niall promises to come and watch again soon. Liam gets up and grabs his wallet.

“Nope, it’s on the house today, next time you come in you can buy one!” Niall stops him.

“I’ll make sure I’ll come back. You’ve got a nice place, great atmosphere. Besides, I need to persuade Harry to sell his photo to me.” He winks at Harry. Harry smiles widely.

“Okay guys, I’m off. Good luck on the photo project.” Niall closes the door behind Liam and locks it.

“He’s a great guy. “He says.

“Agreed!” Harry says while he's deciding where to hang the next picture.

 

 

 *****

 

“Harry!” Niall yells from his bedroom. It’s a Saturday and it's Harry's day off and he's still in bed.

“Yeah?” he shouts back, it’s not like Niall to scream at this hour of the day.

“Can you come here for a minute, please?”  

“Coming!” He gets up quickly, sensing something isn’t right. He softly knocks on his door. “I’m here.” He opens the door and sees Niall all sweaty in his bed.

“Oh mate, you’re ill! “ Harry tells him, as if Niall doesn’t know.

“Yeah, feels like the flu. You think you can go downstairs for a few hours, just until the orders are brought in? You don’t have to open the shop, just …” he coughs.

“Okay, I’ll get you some aspirin and water. Do you want something to eat? Toast and marmalade? “He nods a yes.

Alright, action Styles, get moving! He makes his way to the kitchen, puts on the kettle to make them tea, puts toast in the toaster and brings Niall a glass of water with aspirin, then walks quickly back to feed Copper, who is desperate for attention this morning. Harry cuddles him for a moment, before taking Niall’s breakfast to him and sits down at the table to eat his own. He looks at the time. 

He's got twenty minutes before the supplies come in. He takes a few bites from his toast and heads to the shower. Within ten minutes he's ready to go downstairs. He pokes his head around Niall’s door. “I’m going downstairs now, if there’s anything you need just text, alright?”

“Yeah, I will. Thanks mate, for helping.” his voice comes out croaky.

Harry runs downstairs and opens the curtains from the shop. He sees the van already approaching. He quickly turns on the coffee machine and the lights. The rest can wait. He picks up the key from behind the counter and opens the shop door.

“Morning!” He greets the man from McKenzie’s catering supplies.

“Morning. Niall not around?” he asks.

“No, he’s got the flu so I’m here to collect the orders. “ Harry replies.

“Ah, poor lad. Hope he feels better soon. “Harry signs the packing slip and accepts the box from the man. The man tips his hat and says goodbye. Harry puts the box behind the counter and walks outside, placing the Steamin’ mugs board on the sidewalk. It’s the first day of spring and it’s already pretty busy in the street, it would be a shame if the shop has to stay closed. He's helped out so many times, he decides to keep the shop open until lunchtime.

He texts Niall “ _Gonna keep the shop open until noon, it’s a beautiful day._ ” He takes the cakes from the fridge and puts them in the display. He cleans the counter and the tables and only a few minutes later Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong come in as usual on a Saturday morning.

“Good morning!” He greets them.

“Well hello Harry, Niall not here?” Mrs. Armstrong asks with a soft smile.

“No ma’am, he’s in his bed fighting the flu.”

“Poor Niall, give him my love when you see him. “

“I will. Can I take your order?” Harry asks and feels so very professional. He walks back to the counter to get two coffees and two slices of lemon tart. Soon more people come in for coffee and Harry is actually enjoying himself.

He starts singing Pharrell Williams’  _Happy_  while he's wiping the counter, when Liam comes in with a girl, who looks kind of familiar.

“Hey Harry, new job?” he asks with a smile.

“Hey Liam, nice to see you. Nope, Niall’s ill, so I’m helping him out. What can I get you two?” He replies quickly.

“Two coffees, please. And I’d like to introduce you to my fiancée, Sophia. “Harry shakes her hand and she smiles.

“I think we’ve met before? Aren’t you the photographer from the Cheshire Standard?”

“Yes, now I remember. My co-worker Nick interviewed you and your friend for the Christmas Special. How are you?”

“I’m fine thanks. Liam told me you took a picture of the house?”  

“Yes, I did.” Harry points to the wall behind her. She walks over to inspect the picture. Harry takes two coffees to the table where Liam took a seat.

“It’s good. You’re still not sure you want to sell?” she asks sitting down at the table.

“I’m still thinking about it.” He replies honestly.

“Oh Harry before I forget. Sophia and I throw a small party at our house, kind of a late housewarming party. I’d love you and Niall to come.” Liam looks at Harry in expectation.

“Sounds nice, yeah, sure. I’d love to, I’m sure Niall will too, when is it?”

“Saturday in two weeks.”  

“Fancy party?” Harry inquires a bit hesitant; he's never been to a celeb’s housewarming party, doesn’t know what he's expected to wear.

“Nah, just wear what you like.” Liam reassures him with a smile.

 

 

*****

 

“Wow Niall, who are you trying to impress?” Harry teases Niall. He’s dressed in black jeans and a black and white patterned shirt with short sleeves and is styling his blonde quiff right now. He usually doesn’t take that long to dress when they go out.

“Hey, it’s a celeb party, who knows? Probably some of Liam’s teammates will be there too in expensive outfits and maybe his fiancée has some nice friends I could meet?” Niall's reflection winks at Harry.

Harry chuckles. He put on some dark blue skinnies, a powder blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves and black shoes. His hair, well, the curls are pretty much tamed for now, they reach his shoulders. Niall turns around and stands in front of him and unbuttons two buttons more.

Harry can’t help but smirk “Well, well… didn’t know you fancied me?”

Niall laughs. “No mate, you miss the boobs. You just look a lot sexier like this… who knows who  **you**  will meet?”

“So you decide I need to show off my bare chest in front of total strangers, they might get the wrong impression.” Harry raises his eyebrows as he looks at the half unbuttoned shirt on his body.

“Come on, Harry, live a little!” Niall picks up his keys and opens the door. “Let’s go!”

Harry picks up their gift for Liam and Sophia and follows him.

Niall rings the bell and soon the door is opened by a lovely looking Sophia in a grey blue-ish dress.

“Hello Harry… and you must be Niall. I’m Sophia, Liam’s fiancée, come in!” She takes them to the garden where Liam walks up to them.

“Hey Niall, how you’re feeling?”

“Great, thanks for the invite!” Liam tells Sophia he will introduce them to his team mates. Harry hands him the gift.

“Oh, a present? That’s nice of you, but honestly you didn’t need to.” He unwraps the gift and smiles widely. “Harry, come here mate, let me give you a hug, this is fantastic, but now I feel a little guilty. I would have bought it from you, you know that!” Liam thanks Harry for the photo in the frame Niall and he gave him.

“I know, but this makes me feel much better.” Harry says, smiling back at him. Niall is excited, meeting Liam’s team mates, Harry only sees toned bodies and has trouble remembering names. Liam introduces them to two guys.  

“Let me introduce you to some of my team mates, this is Niall, who’s a big fan of ours and to Harry who knows nothing about football.” Oh, well that is a bit embarrassing, thank you Liam, Harry thinks. Ed and Olly grin, while they shake their hands. Harry thinks he'll stay with Ed and Olly for the night. They share Harry's passion for music. Ed plays guitar, just like Niall and Olly sings.

“Harry! Come, I want to introduce you to my lady friends, they’re dying to meet you! Sorry guys, you can catch up later” Sophia grabs Harry's arm and drags him away from the guys.

“Don’t try to set him up with one of your friends!” Liam shouts after her. Harry looks at Olly and Ed apologetically.  

Harry is introduced to several girls. He recognizes the tall girl with the long hair as the girl who was with Sophia when Nick interviewed them. She smiles when she sees him. Oh boy! Harry averts his eyes and watches the ground.

“Hey I know you! You’re the photographer from the Standard, right?”

Harry puts on a smile. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Nice to meet you again, my name is Eleanor.” She holds out her hand and Harry shakes it politely. “I saw you talking to Olly and Ed. You know them?” she asks while staring to where Olly and Ed are.

“Not really, just met them, why? “ He asks a little confused.

“Uhm, well I kind of hoped you knew Olly, just… never mind. It was nice meeting you again” She turns and goes back to the other girls.

Okay, that was a bit strange. Harry turns around and makes his way to the bar. He orders a Confusion, sounds like the best drink to order after this strange conversation. He takes sips from the drink, vodka is not his favourite, but mixed with Red Bull and orange juice, it doesn’t taste too bad.

“Hey mate, here you are!” Niall stands beside him with his beer. He looks very cheerful. Harry looks around the bar, it’s crowded.

“Let’s go back to the guys.” Harry says firmly and pushes Niall softly to a group of ManU footballers. Niall fits right in, he’s having a great time talking to them. He promises to come and watch them next time they play in Manchester, Harry is being talked into coming too and when he tells them he doesn’t know anything about the game, two Dutch guys take their time to explain the basics to him, which Harry really appreciates, so he knows at least when to cheer the team on. Daley, he thinks that’s what his name is, tries to explain what a corner means.

 

**_Dear readers,_ **

**_Well, tonight was interesting. I’ve been taught the basic rules of … football by no other than a couple of Manchester United players. Yes, dear readers, I met a few nice guys tonight at a party. None of them can even compare to my Prince Charming, but it was great to meet new people. No luck on the search so far, I’m still clueless.  Any ideas and words of encouragement are highly appreciated._ **

****

**_All the love, H xx_ **

 

That night Harry checks his dashboard. Nick, Gemma and Audra left encouraging comments. He also has a private message from someone called cupidintraining. He or she tells Harry not to give up hope and to keep searching. Harry surfs to cupid’s blog, but it’s empty, looks like cupid is a new blogger. Harry replies with a thank you for your encouragement and that he's not giving up hope yet... 

The next weeks are pretty hectic. Audra wants a spring special and Harry drives and walks around on sunny days to take pictures, treating himself to an ice-cream when he spots Nick sitting on a bench in the park, sunglasses covering his eyes while his head leans against the back. Harry pinches his side and he jumps up, while Harry sits down.

“Thought you’d be running around interviewing people.” He teases Nick. Nick glares at him.

“You just disturbed my well-deserved nap, I take that ice-cream, thank you.” He grabs Harry's ice-cream.

“Heyyy” Harry pouts. Nick sits down and takes a few bites.

“Mmm, tastes good. How are you doing, got some good pictures?” Harry shows him what he has so far today. They both chuckle when Harry shows Nick the picture of the lady whose entire household effects are out in the yard. A perfect example of old-fashioned spring cleaning.

“Audra should put that one in. We could do an article about spring cleaning in the special. My mum would love to read that.” Nick suggests.

“Oh, I meant to ask you something. You met a few ManU footballers, right?” 

“Uhm… yeah a while back, why?” Harry asks curiously.

“Well, I hear Murs is seeing a lady?” Aha, he needs insider’s info.

Harry laughs “So? Maybe he is, I only met the guy at the party, don’t know about his romantic life” He tells Nick. He doesn't feel the need to discuss ManU players with Nick, who knows what he’ll put in the paper.

“Damn, I hoped you may have spotted him with a girl at that party.”

“Sorry. I don’t recall seeing him with somebody. Okay, time for me to go, you owe me an ice-cream. “Harry says when he stands up and walks back to his car.

 

 

*****

 

“So, where do we sit?” Harry asks Niall. He's never been to a football stadium before. Old Trafford is huge in his opinion.

“Liam got us tickets in the friends and family area.” Harry follows Niall who obviously knows where he’s going. It’s a nice sunny day, Harry is in black skinnies and a grey shirt, slightly sheer: what can he say? He's a bit fashion conscience. Niall is in jeans and a ManU T-shirt. They see Sophia and whatshername… Eleanor seated on the other side of the row. Niall waves when she waves at them.

“Here are our seats.” Niall says. Good, not too close to the girls, Harry doesn’t mind Sophia, but he somehow dislikes Eleanor. He leans back and takes in his surroundings, picks up his camera and takes a few pictures of the stadium. He puts on his sunglasses, just in time to see both teams marching to the field. Niall explains Manchester United plays against Arsenal, another team Harry doesn’t know any players of. He zooms in with his camera.

“Who’s no.21 from Arsenal? “ He asks Niall. Niall chuckles.

“Calum Chambers, 20 years old.”

“Hmm, maybe football isn’t so bad at all. “ He sits back smiling. Niall laughs.

”You’re going to ogle the guys from behind your glasses?” Harry gives him a thumbs up. Niall almost doubles over with laughter.

“I knew it!” he finally manages to say.

Harry takes a few pictures now he can still see the men before they start running around on the field. He smiles when he sees Liam walking to the goal. He spots Ed and Olly debating before taking their spots on the field. Harry tries to keep up in the 45 minutes of the first half, Niall quickly explains a few situations. Harry cheers when Liam stops a ball from going into the goal. He boos with the rest of the supporters when a goal made by Olly is denied: offside. Still no score, the men leave the field.

Harry offers to get them a drink. He orders two tea, since they have to drive back it’s only fair both of them stay sober. Sophia pats his shoulder and asks if he likes the game.

“To be honest, I still don’t understand much of the game, but Niall’s a good teacher. It’s fun, I’m enjoying myself. I got some good pictures too.” Harry shows her the picture he took of Liam, focusing on the ball.

“Ooh, that’s a great picture. You truly are a good photographer. “She compliments him. Harry smiles.

“Thanks.”

“Oh, do you have some photos of Olly too?” Another voice asks from behind him. Harry turns around...oh, Eleanor. He tries to shield his screen from her, but she’s already seen that he has quite a few pictures of him.

“Oh I love them, you’re good!” Harry blushes, he can’t help his camera follows handsome guys a lot on the field. Quite a few players look hot in their football kit. Muscular thighs, suntanned skin and a great bum in those tight shorts.

“Sir, your tea.” Oh right. He pays for them and excuses himself from the girls.

“Sorry got held up by Sophia and her friend.” Niall looks at him, but doesn’t say a thing. Soon the game resumes and Harry takes some more pictures of Ed, Olly and the two Dutch players. After another 45 minutes the score is still 0-0. Niall sighs in disappointment.

“They should have won, they played so much better than Arsenal!” he grumbles.

“Aww, don’t mope, you get to meet them, let’s go!” Harry tries to cheer him up. They meet the entire team half an hour later in the café. Liam greets them with a big smile.

“Hey Harry, did you enjoy the game?”

“Yeah, it was cool, great atmosphere. “ Harry tells him with a smile. Soon they’re surrounded by the Dutch guys who remember him, embarrassingly enough, because of his lack of knowledge about the game. Harry tells them he did remember some of the basics they taught him at the party. They laugh. Ed and Olly join them.

“Hey Harry, good to see you! “Olly hugs him. He’s a fun guy. Ed offers a small smile. Harry talks to them for a bit before Sophia and her shadow Eleanor, followed by most of the football team interfere.

“Here he is!” Eleanor shouts at the team. “Harry, show us your photos, they’re great.” she shouts at him. Oh God, no!

“Uhm, they’re not that good. I’m sure the men are not interested.” He tries, but she’s not having it and grabs the camera from him. He really hates her!

“Eleanor, please.” He protests weakly. The team surround her as she flips through his photos, they laugh and point. He sees Liam looking at him holding a thumbs up.

“Great pictures, mate. You’re good!” Harry hears one of the players, he hasn’t met before, shout. Phew, he’s glad they like the photos, he was a bit scared he had focused a bit too much on certain body parts.

 

It’s a few weeks later when Liam visits Steamin’ mugs. Niall and Harry are sitting outside on the terrace after hours. It’s the end of June and it’s hot outside.

“Guys, fancy a pool party?”

Harry stretches his arms. “Love it!”

Liam sits down. “Thought so! There will be just a few people, it’s an all lads’ party. I invited Olly and Ed and there’s Zayn, an old friend of mine and Louis, my best friend.” Liam tells them.

“Don’t think we met your friends, right?” Niall frowns.

“Zayn is mostly in the US, he works for an R&B label and Louis is a producer, he lives in London. Actually, he was at the Christmas Fair with me last year.” Liam smiles. “But we lost him for a while.”

“Oh! I remember you said that!” Niall exclaims. “So now I get to meet the missing guy.” he grins.

 

 

 *****

 

“Guys, come in! Olly, Ed and Zayn are here. We’re still waiting for Louis.”  Liam wears shorts and a T-shirt, just like them. He lets them in.

“Go dive in! “He laughs when he sees Niall’s red face. It is extremely hot, very unlike the usual British weather. They greet Olly and Ed who are floating on inflatable seats in the pool. There's a guy beside the pool … wow! Excuse Harry for staring!

“Are you sure he’s not a model?” Harry whispers in Liam’s ear. Liam chuckles.

“Nope, his appearance seems to have the jaw-dropping effect on most people.”

“Zayn, mate, these two are Niall and Harry, come say hello!” Zayn waves and rises slowly from his sunbed. He walks up to them and Harry feels like he's watching a scene from Baywatch. He may have to dive into that pool soon to cool off, both physically and mentally. Zayn shakes their hands.

“Niall, you must be the owner of the coffee shop Liam seems to love. “ Niall nods a proud yes. “And Harry, you’re the photographer from the Cheshire Standard?”

“Yes, that’s me.” Harry beams. Zayn smiles.

“Great to meet you guys.”

Suddenly Harry hears Liam’s voice shout behind me “It’s about bloody time you got here, Tommo!”

“Yeah, sorry, it took longer to get here than I anticipated.” a voice apologizes. Ed and Olly laugh and shake their head.

 

Harry turns around and... His heart starts beating erratically, his feet are glued to the ground and his tongue is tied. There he is, his Prince Charming. His blue eyes stare at Harry in, what looks like disbelief, followed by a soft smile and then a slight panic. Harry reaches out his hand to shake his’.

“Hi.” How eloquent Harry!

“Hi.” he replies softly and then “I’m Louis.”

“I’m Harry” Harry replies shyly. His heart is still beating like crazy and his feet still won’t move, but at least his tongue is trying to act normal. They just stare at each other, not knowing what to say to each other, partly because Louis' friends and Niall are staring at them in amusement. Liam coughs and they both look up at him, both still in a daze.

“And this is Niall.” he introduces Niall, who’s trying to keep from laughing.

“Hi, nice to meet you.” Niall says as he shakes Louis’ hand.

“Hi, Louis.”

“So, Greg let you go then?” Liam says while looking at Harry. Oh…

“Yeah, he has a charity game tomorrow.” Louis says softly.

“Louis’ partner is also a football player, they actually met through us.” Liam wraps an arm around his friend and smiles at Harry and Niall. “He plays for Chelsea.”

“Cool! Greg James?” Niall shouts. Louis nods and puts on a smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Well, let me say hi to the others and get changed. “ Louis says as he walks to Zayn. Liam stares after him. Niall and Harry look at each other.

“Hey Harry, Niall come into the water, guys! “ Ed shouts from his seat on the water. Niall and Harry strip off their shorts and shirt and dive in. The water is perfect. It’s great to cool off, so much excitement within an hour. Harry still can’t believe he’s here, his Prince Charming, but also out of reach. He’s taken. Olly splashes water in his face.

“Hey daydreamer, wake up, don’t want you to drown in the pool.” he grins.

“Yeah, that would make a bad headline “ _Guy drowns in goalie Payne’s pool._ ”  Harry replies with a smile.

“I hear rumours, you’re dating?” He asks Olly while leaning on the side of his seat, making the seat rock.

“Oh mate, you mean Eleanor! No, definitely NO! She just seems to turn up everywhere I am, but I’m not interested, I tried to be subtle about it, but she doesn’t seem to take the hint. It’s annoying, really. Nope, I’m still a free man and I prefer to stay that way!” He sighs and Harry can’t help laughing. He hears two bodies jumping in the pool. When he's just settled himself against the side of the pool, a head is popping up right in front of him… Louis. Harry holds his breath: he’s so beautiful and he’s got a really nice tan.

He catches the blue eyes staring at him, he smiles when he sees Harry looking back at him.

“Hi.” his voice is soft.

“Hi” Harry replies shyly.

He chuckles “I think we’re done saying hello now.” Harry smiles, because yes, they only seem to know the word “hi”.

“So, your name is Harry. I’ve been wondering ever since the fair, who you are.” He is charming.

”Yeah, I’m Harry and you’re Louis, been wondering the same since … that kiss.” Harry blushes at the last word. Louis blushes too.

“Yeah, about that. You really are beautiful.” He reaches out to touch Harry's hair.

“Uhm, thank you?” Harry replies unsure. “The kiss at the fair was a mistake, I assume.” He sounds a bit bitter, he knows. Louis looks at him confused.

“What?”

“You’re in a relationship, so I assume the kiss was a mistake?” Harry sees him opening his mouth and sees the pained look in his eyes.

“I am… sort of. I wasn’t at the time. Greg and I have been seeing each other on and off for a year now.” he explains looking miserable.

Harry kind of feels sorry for him, he doesn’t seem happy.

“I see. I wish you weren’t...” Harry manages to say. He feels sad. Here he is, face to face with the most beautiful, almost naked, man in the world and of course, he’s taken. Louis looks up at him and moves closer, his hand cupping Harry's cheek as he closes the gap between them, his lips on Harry's. And here it is again that great sensation of him kissing Harry. He feels his lips tingle when Louis moves away, averting his eyes to the water.

“I wish I wasn’t either.” he whispers. It’s gone quiet around them. Five pairs of eyes watching them curiously. They’re both blushing, embarrassed to be caught by their friends.

“Care to explain?” Liam asks, his arms crossed and his eyebrows raised. Louis glares at him. “Alright, I guess that’s a no! No need to kill me with that look.” He raises his arms in defence. Louis turns and swims to the side where Zayn is watching them from his sunbed, heaves himself up and lies next to Zayn on another sunbed. Harry gets out of the pool too and pours himself a drink.

They have a barbecue at night, much to Niall’s delight. They all had quite enough to drink. Ed and Niall play guitar and the rest sing along. The tension that was there when Louis kissed Harry is gone. They’re all enjoying themselves. It’s about midnight when Ed and Olly leave in a cab, Zayn heads into the house to the guest room and Niall, Louis, Liam and Harry are cleaning up. Harry has tried to stay away from Louis the entire evening, because he doesn’t trust himself. There’s nothing Harry wants more than take him in his arms and kiss him some more, but he can’t and it’s just frustrating. Niall and Liam talk a bit while putting away the empty bottles. Harry feels a hand brushing his arm.

“Harry, I know you’ve been avoiding me the rest of the day, I understand, but can I say goodbye at least?” Louis' pleading eyes look up at him. Harry looks at him and he knows, deep in his heart, he shouldn’t, but he steps forward, wraps his arms around Louis' waist and pulls him towards him.

“I want to kiss you.” Harry's voice is barely audible and he knows he had too much to drink. Louis is not rejecting him, instead he wraps his arms around Harry's neck and brushes his lips over Harry's, Harry kisses him. Louis pulls Harry closer and bites Harry's lower lip softly until Harry lets out a soft moan. Harry opens his mouth to let Louis' tongue explore his mouth, while his is chasing his’. Harry pulls him closer so his body is flush with Louis', he can feel Louis' semi-hard pressing against his thigh. Harry's hands slide down his waist to his arse, he squeezes softly, making Louis moan. Louis' hips move against Harry's. All of a sudden he pulls away. There are tears in his eyes.

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…. I’m sorry.” He quickly turns around and walks into the house. Harry hears Liam and Niall coming back. He swallows his disappointment and tries to look normal.

”Okay Liam, we’re off, thanks for having us. It was great.” Harry says and Niall joins him on their way out.

“Harry, are you okay?” Niall wants to know.

“I’m fine.” Not.

In bed he lets his tears fall. Why does he keep falling for the wrong guys? Why can’t he find a nice guy who actually wants and can be with him?  

 

 

_*****_

 

**_Dear readers,_ **

**_Well, I didn’t think my challenge would be over so soon. As I’m writing this I’m still devastated. Yes, dear readers, I saw Prince Charming again, but it turns out he’s taken. He wasn’t when we met at the fair, but…. he is now. Although he didn’t seem a happy man to me, but I could be biased. Any comments are welcome, also some comforting words and virtual hugs are appreciated._ **

****

**_All the love, H xx_ **

 

Harry closes the laptop and hears footsteps coming from Niall’s room.

“Morning.” Harry says. You’ve got to hand it to him, no matter how much he drinks, he never suffers from a hangover.

“Hi mate. Here’s a real time hug, instead of a virtual.” he wraps his arms around Harry.

“You read the blog, I assume.”

“Yeah, wanna talk?” he offers. Harry nods a yes.

“Okay, let me grab us a coffee first. “

“You were a bit off yesterday, it’s Louis, isn’t it?” Niall sits across from Harry, leaning his elbows on the table, drinking his coffee.

“Yeah, it is.” Harry admits softly.

“Wanna tell me the entire story?” Niall looks at him, waiting for him to reply. He takes a deep breath.

“He’s Prince Charming.” Harry says. Niall gulps.

“He’s what?” Harry tells Niall again. ”Bloody hell! “ He sits back in astonishment.

“And he’s taken, remember?” Harry adds bitterly.

“Well, it didn’t stop him from kissing you… twice!” he responds. Harry snaps his head up.

“Twice? You saw that?”

“Mate, both Liam and me. He’s also wondering what’s going on.” Niall sighs.

“What do I do Niall? I really really like him, and he seems to like me a lot too.” Harry leans his head on his arms.

“I don’t know, Harry, I don’t know.”

Of course Gemma, Nick and Audra want to know what’s happened, so Harry gives them the short version of what happened, conveniently leaving out that he's been kissing his Prince, but he blames that on the beer, the cocktails Confusion, that one quickly becomes a favourite and Painkiller, that one is a lie, don’t try it!

Surprisingly his readers all have one thing in common, they all think he needs to give it a chance, don’t give up, although he doesn’t see why. He doesn’t want to break up relationships, he's not that kind of guy.

He pushes away the laptop and feels a soft brush of fur touch his bare legs. “Hey Copper, how are you buddy? What a life you have, aye? Nap where and whenever you like, being catered for. No worries about heartbreak. Wanna trade places?” Harry asks, Copper looks up at him and walks away, Harry takes that as a no; he’s clearly not impressed by Harry's life… Harry can’t blame him really.

 

*****

 

July and August are quiet at work, people taking holidays to exotic places like, Bermuda, Rhodos, Ibiza and Blackpool, a little less exotic. Steamin’ mugs closes for a week and Niall and Harry are off to …..Ireland, the Emerald. Harry knew there was a reason they call it the Emerald; lush green grass, fern and bushes. It should have been a warning; rain showers five days in a row. Well at least he got to beat Niall in board games, however, Harry had to admit defeat in a drinking competition at a local pub; Niall beat him by far.

 

_**Dear readers,** _

_**I’m sure some of you are enjoying your holidays in the sun, because it must be somewhere. I’m spending my hols in a quaint little village in Ireland with my best friend, participating in drinking contests, board games, snooker and card games instead of spending it with Prince Charming on a bounty  island, bathing in the sun, drinking colourful cocktails. And… I’m sorry to say no rugged handsome Irishman has caught my eye.** _

__

_**Wishing you all a happy summer vacation !** _

_**All the love, H. xx** _

 

That night after they packed their bags before they have to leave the next day, Harry opens his laptop. There’s another private message from cupidintraining.

_**Maybe you should ask Prince Charming to come with you to a bounty island? He might say yes.** _

 

Harry replies.

 

_**Dear cupidintraining,** _

_**Sharpening your arrows? Prince Charming was snatched away while I was setting up this blog. So, I highly doubt he would come with me. Thanks for the suggestion, though!** _

__

Almost immediately there’s a reply.

 

_**Dear christmaself,** _

_**He might be single by now, you said he didn’t look a happy man when you met him. Don’t give up hope!** _

Well he or she might have a point there. Harry saw Liam two times after the pool party. The only thing he mentioned about Louis is that he had moved house in London. Harry tries not to think of Louis too much, he didn’t ask for his number, nor has he asked for Harry's. But still.... he appears in all of Harry's dreams, night after night. The vision of Ben has faded over the past months. He still hasn’t contacted Ben, maybe he should. He thinks he's over him.

 

*****

 

July and August are quiet at work, people taking holidays to exotic places like, Bermuda, Rhodes, Ibiza and Blackpool, a little less exotic. Steamin’ mugs closes for a week and Niall and Harry are off to …..Ireland, the Emerald. Harry knew there was a reason they call it the Emerald; lush green grass, fern and bushes. It should have been a warning; rain showers five days in a row. Well at least he got to beat Niall in board games, however, Harry had to admit defeat in a drinking competition at a local pub; Niall beat him by far.

 

**_Dear readers,_ **

**_I’m sure some of you are enjoying your holidays in the sun, because it must be somewhere. I’m spending my hols in a quaint little village in Ireland with my best friend, participating in drinking contests, board games, snooker and card games instead of spending it with Prince Charming on a bounty island, bathing in the sun, drinking colourful cocktails. And… I’m sorry to say no rugged handsome Irishman has caught my eye._ **

****

**_Wishing you all a happy summer vacation!_ **

**_All the love, H. xx_ **

 

That night after they packed their bags before they have to leave the next day, Harry opens his laptop. There’s another private message from cupidintraining.

**_Maybe you should ask Prince Charming to come with you to a bounty island? He might say yes._ **

 

Harry replies.

 

**_Dear cupidintraining,_ **

**_Sharpening your arrows? Prince Charming was snatched away while I was setting up this blog. So, I highly doubt he would come with me. Thanks for the suggestion, though!_ **

****

Almost immediately there’s a reply.

 

**_Dear Christmas elf,_ **

**_He might be single by now, you said he didn’t look a happy man when you met him. Don’t give up hope!_ **

Well he or she might have a point there. Harry saw Liam two times after the pool party. The only thing he mentioned about Louis is that he had moved house in London. Harry tries not to think of Louis too much, he didn’t ask for his number, nor has he asked for Harry's. But still.... he appears in all of Harry's dreams, night after night. The vision of Ben has faded over the past months. He still hasn’t contacted Ben, maybe he should. He thinks he's over him.

 

*****

 

It’s late November before Harry finally finds the courage. He takes a deep breath before he presses call.

“Winston!” He hears on the other side.

“Hi Ben, it’s me, Harry.”

“Harry! Good to hear from you. How are you?”

“Uhm, all things considered, I’m doing good. How are you?”

“Splendid, got a new project, so things are going well.”

“Good.”

“Harry, do you want us to meet, you know, like we used to?” Ben asks after a short pause.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Same place?” They make an appointment for Friday.

 

**_Dear readers,_ **

**_I’m going to meet someone and it’s not Prince Charming. It’s someone I’ve known for quite a while, in fact, I had a huge crush on him. We didn’t keep in touch, because of reasons, but I’m going to meet him Friday. Keep your fingers crossed, that I don’t mess up this time!_ **

****

**_All the love, H. xx_ **

****

**_cupidintraining replied to your post: Should I sharpen my arrows?_ **

**_christmaself answered: I suggest to keep them as far away as possible, thanks!_ **

Phew, no thanks, he does pretty good embarrassing himself without help. He feels a little nervous, it’s been eleven months since he's seen Ben; the moment Harry made a complete and utter fool of himself. He stands in front of the dreaded establishment. Last time he was here, he stumbled outside leaving a completely horrified Ben behind. He takes a deep breath, opens the door and immediately spots Ben, in the same spot as where he left him on that day. Harry can’t help but feeling he's reliving the moment, one he prefers not to. He straightens his shoulders and walks to the table.

“Hi.” He greets him a bit hesitant. Ben looks up and smiles, still unfairly handsome, dammit!

“Hey, have a seat.” A waitress comes up and takes their orders.

“So you’re working on a new project, you said?” He opens the conversation with a save subject.

“Yeah, I’m making a documentary about old music labels together with my cousins. It’s great fun. And you? Still working for the Standard?” Harry nods.

“Yeah, not much has changed, I’m afraid.”

“So… uhm, are you dating anyone?”

Oh right, he goes straight to the painful point. “No, I wish, but… no.” Harry stares at his cup of tea, which was placed in front of him.

“You?”

Ben shakes his head. “Uhm… I was thinking maybe we should go out some time?” He blushes.

Harry's mouth falls open. “Are you kidding me?” He shouts.

“No… no, I’m not. I kept thinking about what you said then and I really really like you, you know.” Ben continues with deep red cheeks.

“Look I made a mistake last year by declaring my undying love to you, I truly thought you were interested in me.” Harry breathes out.

“What if it wasn’t a mistake?” Ben looks up at him from under his eyelashes.

“No Ben, this is not fair. I’m over you, don’t start this… this nonsense now. You said you were straight, I came to terms with that!” Harry can’t believe what he's hearing.

“Don’t you even want to find out?” Ben asks, his red cheeks are pale now.

“No, I don’t! It’s too late!” Harry jumps up from his chair, turns around and walks quickly to the door, of course he stumbles over a bag he didn’t see, because his eyes are clouded with tears. He turns into the High Street and runs until he collides with a body.

“I-I’m sorry, sor--rry. “ He stutters between the sobs.

“Hey, Harry, what’s wrong mate?” Harry hears a familiar voice asking with concern. He looks up and sees a blurry shape of a man he knows.

“Liam…”

“Let’s get you back to my house and then you can tell what’s got you so upset.” Liam wraps an arm around Harry's shoulder and guides him out of the High Street to his house. Harry can’t stop sobbing, he's really upset. They stay silent on the way to Liam's house, apart from Harry's sobs. Inside Liam takes Harry's coat and leads him to the kitchen to sit at an enormous wooden table, while he makes them both a cup of tea.

“Here ya go.” he offers with a small smile.

“Thanks.” Harry smiles gratefully. After they take a few sips from the hot liquid, Liam asks.

“What happened, Harry?” Harry sighs, wipes the last stray tears away and coughs before he talks. He tells Liam about Ben, first what happened last year and then what happened today.

“Mate that is an awful lot. I don’t know this Ben, but it sounds like he’s pretty confused.” Liam says after hearing Harry's story.

“It’s just not fair, Liam. I wasted a year crushing on him and another one to get over him. In the meantime I meet Louis and it all starts again.” Harry suddenly realizes he let something slip, he didn’t mean to.

“What do you mean, you met Louis? This summer, you mean?” Liam looks at Harry suspiciously.

“No, no… I met him before, didn’t he say?”

“At the Christmas Fair?” Liam inquires all seriously. Harry nods.

“I was dressed as an elf, helping Niall out. I had to pick up some cups from the van and slipped on the way back. He came out of nowhere and helped me and…. then he just kissed me.” He tells Liam. Liam might as well know now.

“You’re Christmas elf.” he just says. Harry looks up at him in confusion.

”What?”

“You’re Christmas elf on tumblr, the guy looking for Prince Charming.” he explains with a soft smile. Harry blushes.

“Yeah, that’s me… h-how do you  know?”

“I’m cupidintraining.”

Harry's jaw drops almost to the floor. “You’re cupid?!” he exclaims.

“Still in training.” he grins.

“Geez, so you know about my search and you also know I found him but that he’s taken." Fuck!  

“I had an inkling when I read your blog, pointed out to me by my lovely fiancée, who, by the way, is missophia. It’s Louis, right?”

Harry nods in embarrassment. How come he ends up in situations like this, he ask himself.

“Hey mate, come on, no need to be embarrassed. I think it’s lovely and I want to help. Louis is a great guy.” Liam reassures him.

“He’s taken, Liam. You said so yourself when we met at the pool party.” Harry points out to him.

“He was at the time, he’s not with Greg anymore, he moved out late July. He’s single, Harry.”

Harry perks up at the news. “He is?”

Liam chuckles. “Yes and he’s just a stubborn as you. Neither one of you asked Niall nor me for the other one’s number. All Louis does is ask  _“Have you seen Niall and Harry lately?”, “Have you been at Steamin’ mugs?”_ , but never asks directly if you’re seeing someone. I once mentioned I saw you with Nick, just to test the waters, he went very quiet and just answered with an  _“I see.”_  and didn’t ask any more.”

This is a lot to take in.

“Still, he lives in London and I’m here.” Harry sighs.

“Well, you could surprise him…he’ll be here in two weeks, staying over before going to his family in Doncaster for the holidays.” Liam wiggles his eyebrows.

Harry chuckles. “You should make your handle cupidinadvancedtraining.”

Liam bursts out in laughter and Harry joins him. They chat a little, before Harry leaves.

“You’re sure he likes me?”

“Harry, have some faith. He lights up whenever I drop your name, so yes… he likes you a lot!” Liam hugs him. Harry thanks him for helping him and then he heads home, pulling his scarf tighter, it’s become ice cold since this afternoon. 

Niall forbids Harry to ever contact Ben again and Harry agrees, so he removes him from his contact list, witnessed by Niall.

“Good! Now tell me all about what Liam’s been cooking up.” Harry grins and starts telling. When he's finished Niall’s eyes are almost popping out of their sockets and his mouth is wide open in disbelief. Copper is sleeping on Harry's lap, purring contently.

“What a story! I couldn’t have made it up meself!” He grins widely. “So Liam is cupid.”

Harry laughs.

 

**_Dear readers,_ **

**_That date was a disaster, I should not have agreed to meet him. I was a total mess when I left that teashop. Lucky for me, I bumped into a good friend. We had a good talk at his house and when I left I felt so much better, thank you, you know who you are._ **

**_It’s almost been a year since The Kiss, I still have three weeks to complete the challenge I set for myself. I’m not giving up hope yet!_ **

**_All the love, H xx_ **

  
 

*****

 

It’s December 15th, Harry just finished his annual Christmas project for the Cheshire Standard; the Christmas Special photos. No snow yet, but it’s freezing outside, Holmes Chapel is covered in frost. He's sitting at his favourite spot in the shop, hair tied in a bun, picking out the pictures for the paper, Niall brings him a chocolate chip muffin and a cup of Cappuccino; he’s got a new fancy coffee machine and is taking on the competition with the new Costa, that opened in the High Street two months ago. He was not pleased when he found out, but instead of sulking, he decided to try out new beverages, so he now has a wide range of coffees, teas and hot chocolate; Harry's not complaining!

Niall peeks over his shoulder. “Ooh they opened an ice rink in the square, I read about that. You think we can go? I’d love it!” He exclaims excitedly when he sees Harry's picture of the ice rink. He took it two nights ago. It’s rather romantic with fairy lights and vintage benches.

”We could go tonight? I’m a lousy skater. I’ll probably use you as a pole to keep myself upright!” He warns Niall.

“Fine!” he laughs as he walks back to the counter.

That night Niall’s wearing his red ski jacket and dark blue jeans, black beanie covering his blonde locks and black mittens covering his hands. Harry wears his black coat, grey scarf and gloves, He untied the bun, so his curls are framing his face. Niall already wears skates and steps confidently on the ice. Harry carefully places one foot on the ice, Niall takes his hand and ushers him to place the other foot on the slippery surface too. Harry does and…. alright, he's still standing. Niall grins at him before he suddenly takes off, leaving Harry on his own.

“Heyyy! You promised!”

Niall just waves. Fine! Okay, he's doing this by himself then. He carefully moves one foot and then the other, so far no problem. Feeling a bit more confident he goes a little faster; others can do it, why not him? Harry encourages himself. He speeds up a little and he smiles. He can do this!

Niall passes and shouts “You’re doing fine, mate!” And speeds off again, Harry sticks out his tongue, the bastard... leaving him here on his own! Harry tries to gain a little more speed, unfortunately he totally missed there was a huge Christmas tree placed in the middle of the ice rink and naturally he crashes into it. He feels the branches scratching his face, before his bum hits the ice with a thud.

“Ouch!” that hurt. He's trying to get up but to no avail. He hears girls giggling: Harry guesses he is the entertainment for tonight then. He sighs in frustration, when another attempt to get up fails. Suddenly there are two legs on skates in front of him: black skinny’s covering firm thighs. Harry looks up and sees… Prince Charming!

“Hey love, let me help you.” He says with a soft warm voice and a fond look in his eyes. Harry is speechless. Louis reaches out his hand and Harry places one hand in his smaller one, the other one on the ice to push himself up.

When he's on two feet again, he whispers “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Let’s get you to a bench.” Louis wraps an arm around Harry's waist and leads him to an empty bench.

“Are you alright? Didn’t hurt yourself?” he asks not letting go of Harry's waist.

“I’m fine, just ego bruised… again.” He pouts.

Louis chuckles. “The scene was pretty familiar to me.” he teases.

Harry smiles. “Yeah.”

Louis pulls him closer, cups his cheek and looks into Harry's eyes. “Harry, I’d like to take you out to dinner. Will you go on a date with me?”

Harry looks at him in surprise, this gorgeous, sweet man is asking him out?

“I’d love to.” Harry whispers and leans in to kiss Louis' lips.

 

**_Dear readers!_ **

**_Challenge completed! I’ve just been on a date with my Prince Charming and he truly is the most gorgeous, sweet and funny guy I could ever wish for. His name is Louis, by the way._ **

**_Thank you all for your support, comments, hugs and encouraging words this year, when I needed them. I’m glad I went through with, what must have sounded like a mission impossible. Never give up hope, follow your dreams!_ **

**_To cupidintraining I want to say…. you’re now qualified!_ **

  
**_All the love, H. xx_**

 


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